Satyakama

Brahma Knowledge, by L. D. Barnett, [1911], at sacred-texts.com

XII. Satyakāma ²

Satyakāma Jābāla thus addressed his mother Jabālā: "I would keep the term of Brahman-studentship, madame; of what family am I?"

She said to him: "I know not, child, of what family thou art. I got thee in my youth, when I was much busied in doing service. I myself know not of what family thou art. But I am named Jabālā, thou art named Satyakāma; call thyself then Satyakāma Jābāla." ³

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He went to Hāridrumata Gautama and said: "I would keep the term of Brahman-studentship with thee, sir; let me come to thee, sir."

He said to him: "Of what family art thou, beloved?"

"I know not, sir," said he, "of what family I am. I asked my mother, and she answered me saying, "I got thee in my youth, when I was much busied in doing service; I myself know not of what family thou art; but I am named Jabālā, thou art named Satyakāma." So I am myself Satyakāma Jābāla, sir."

He said to him: "None but a Brahman can speak out thus. Bring the faggots, ¹ beloved. I will receive thee; thou hast not departed from truth."

When he had received him, he set aside four hundred lean and feeble cows, and said: "Herd thou these, beloved." As he drove them forth, [Satyakāma] said: "I will not return but with a thousand." He stayed away some years; then when they had grown to a thousand, a bull said to him, "Satyakāma!" "Sir!" he answered.

"We have come to a thousand, beloved; take us to the master's homestead. I will tell thee a quarter of Brahma."

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"Tell me, sir."

And he said to him: "The eastern region is a sixteenth, the western region a sixteenth, the southern region a sixteenth, the northern region a sixteenth. This, beloved, is a quarter of Brahma, in four sixteenths, and called The Brilliant. He who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma in four sixteenths as The Brilliant, becomes brilliant in this world; brilliant worlds he wins who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma in four sixteenths as The Brilliant. The Fire will tell thee a quarter."

In the morning he drove out the cows. When they came home at evening, he laid a fire, closed in the cows, laid on fuel, and sat down facing the east westward of the fire.

The Fire said to him, "Satyakāma!" "Sir!" he answered.

"I will tell thee a quarter of Brahma, beloved."

"Tell me, sir."

And he said to him: "The earth is a sixteenth, the sky a sixteenth, the heaven a sixteenth, the ocean a sixteenth. This, beloved, is a quarter of Brahma, in four sixteenths, and called The Boundless. He who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma in four sixteenths as The Boundless, becomes boundless in this world; boundless worlds he wins who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma

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in four sixteenths as The Boundless. The Swan will tell thee a quarter."

In the morning he drove out the cows. When they came home at evening, he laid a fire, closed in the cows, laid on fuel, and sat down facing the east westward of the fire. A swan flew towards him and said, "Satyakāma!" "Sir!" he answered.

"I will tell thee a quarter of Brahma, beloved."

"Tell me, sir."

And he said to him: "Fire is a sixteenth, the sun a sixteenth, the moon a sixteenth, the lightning a sixteenth. This, beloved, is a quarter of Brahma, in four sixteenths, and called The Lustrous. He who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma in four sixteenths as The Lustrous, becomes lustrous in this world; lustrous worlds he wins who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma in four sixteenths as The Lustrous. The madgu-bird will tell thee a quarter."

In the morning he drove out the cows. When they came home at evening, he laid a fire, closed in the cows, laid on fuel, and sat down facing the east westward of the fire. A madgu-bird flew towards him and said, "Satyakāma!" "Sir!" he answered.

"I will tell thee a quarter of Brahma, beloved."

"Tell me, sir."

And he said to him: "The breath is a sixteenth,

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the eye a sixteenth, the ear a sixteenth, the mind a sixteenth. This, beloved, is a quarter of Brahma, in four sixteenths, and called The Spacious. He who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma in four sixteenths as The Spacious, becomes spacious in this world; spacious worlds he wins who with such knowledge worships this quarter of Brahma in four sixteenths as The Spacious."

He came to the master's homestead. The master said to him, "Satyakāma!" "Sir!" he answered.

"Thou art bright, beloved, as one who knows Brahma. Who has taught thee?"

"Other than men," he answered; "but prithee do thou tell it to me, sir. For I have heard from men like thee, sir, that knowledge learned from a master is the best guide."

He told him thereof; and naught of it was lost.

Footnotes

84:1 The first five are wind, fire, sun, moon, and water, in the cosmos; the second five are breath, speech, eye, ear, and mind, in the microcosm. Wind and Breath are the final principles of being. He who knows himself to be identical with Wind and Breath, and thus becomes himself the highest principle, gathers to himself all the nourishing powers of nature. These ten natural forces are typified by the four-throw in dice, which counts as ten, and by Virāṭ, which is both the name of a metre of ten syllables and a mythological figure symbolic of primitive matter.

84:2 Chhāndogya Upanishad, iv. 4-9.

84:3 In default of a father's name, that of his mother is to serve our hero to form his patronymic.

85:1 Used in the ceremony of the reception (upanayana) of the Brahman-student (brahma-chārī) by the teacher in whose house he was henceforth to lodge.